Share Your Stories

Understorey Magazine is sharing your stories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you staying home? Working extra hours? Unable to work at all? Are you caring for others or do you need care yourself? What worries you the most? What do you hope for?

4 June 2020: Submissions to this series are now closed. Please enjoy the 30-plus stories written by women from across Canada and published during the “stay at home” period of March-May 2020. Together, these stories chronicle how routines, priorities, values, and expectations shifted during this unique time in our collective history.


Grandparenting in COVID-19

By .

Precious days lost
Will I miss her first steps?
Daily photos and videos help
But I can’t touch her soft skin
Pat her round belly
Inhale her baby scent

FaceTime becomes “Story Time with Grandma”
She reaches out to touch my face
Opens and shuts the iPad for Peek-a-boo
And giggles as I feign surprise
I read her favourite books
Make animal noises,
Delight her with pop-ups

When she fusses I sing “Skinnamarink”
Her face relaxes, tears dry
I sign off and she searches the room
No fears, dear Josie
Grandma will be back.